OPINION – Our Community Members Need to Step Up

THUNDER BAY – LETTERS – We have heard a lot of talk the past few months about community pride. Being proud of who we are as a community and proud of our community as a whole is incredibly important. It gets right to the heart of what being part of a community is all about.

The City, along with great community organizations like SHIFT, ecoSuperior, the Thunder Bay Chamber are all doing a great job of spreading the word about the importance of community pride! We need to thank them for spreading the message!

However, here’s the thing… our community members need to step up.

Community pride is about creating a welcoming and supportive community. A community where we as citizens don’t hesitate to smile at a stranger, help someone across the road, spare a quarter for someone else’s parking meter, pick up that garbage you just walked past on the sidewalk, talk to your neighbors, mentor others with an open mind and heart.

We need to stop judging others we have never personally met simply based on how they dress or look. We need to openly learn about the diverse cultures that exist here and celebrate them…not criticize them. We need to choose to be kind and refrain from bullying.

The great thing about all of this? It doesn’t take mass amounts of energy. It doesn’t take money. It doesn’t take thousands of volunteers.

It doesn’t require a self serving selfie.

It won’t keep you from personal success…All it takes is a few seconds. A simple smile. An offer to help. A few selfless acts throughout our day. And before you know it…you feel proud of yourself for the choices you’ve made.

And when we all do it…we as a community feel proud of who we are as a city. Just food for thought…if everyone in Thunder Bay tomorrow did one selfless act to help someone else…well that’s 100k selfless acts.